How to Spot A Good Investment – Panel Event with Chicago Angels Network London

With the hunting season having just begun in London, Chicago Angels Network (CAN) and Startup Manufactory jointly held a panel discussion on How to Spot a Good Investment at Chicago Booth School of Business’ campus in London on 24th of Sept 2015.
As it always takes two to tango, we invited two seasoned entrepreneurs namely Alex Shevelenko, Founder & CEO of RelayTo and Chaney Ojinnaka, Founder and CEO of Chalkrow plus on the investor side two professional angel investors namely Nancy Fechnay, partner at Flight VC and Julian Carter, MD of EC1Capital. The event was co-organised by Yesenia Hernandez, COO of Chicago Angels Network, which I would like to thank for the great opportunity, and myself Matt Kuppers, CEO of Startup Manufactory, as panel moderator.

The panel started off with the question what angel investors are looking for in startups whereby the panel also discussed the differences between the US and the UK market. The discussion then explored to what level angels should be getting involved in their portfolio startups and what entrepreneurs expect from their angels. As the discussion progressed, the panel also touched upon the question whether an MBA is a valuable skill set for starting a business. The panel then moved towards the pros and cons of accelerators for entrepreneurs but also elaborated on the question whether having been in an accelerator programme represents an advantage when it comes to seeking capital from angel investors. After comparing the Berlin and London accelerator industry, the panellists shared their views on the difficulties entrepreneurs face when starting a business and how to cope. Eventually, the panellists reflected on their own biography by responding to the question what advice they would give to their younger selves if they had the chance to go back in time. The panel was positively received by the audience and closed off with a large number of questions during the Q&A session.

After the panel, the audience retired to the networking area where wine and nibbles were served during the networking reception. The audience largely comprised of members of the Chicago Angel Network, entrepreneurs, members of the public and visitors from London Business School.